Attachment Program FAQs

1. What exactly is the treatment process?

Attachment challenge and Complex Developmental Trauma can be treated in a number of ways. As a matter of fact, there are so many approaches to this difficult set of symptoms that most parents are confused, frustrated, and overwhelmed when trying to find help for their child and their family. Many families have gone from one therapy approach to another, and another until their child is treatment averse and the parents are angry, exhausted, and hopeless.

Foremost, parents are the change agents in this treatment process. Treating the parents’ Posttraumatic Stress (also known as, Post-Adoption Stress) symptoms, depression, and anxiety is essential and must come before all else.

Parents are educated and trained in attachment parenting, therapeutic parenting techniques, and the neuroscience of attachment and complex trauma on developing brains.

All family members are supported to develop affect regulation skills. Neurofeedback is an excellent resource for correcting the fear-based brain of attachment challenged children and parents who are shaken in the parenting process.

Parents are coached to practice radical loving and firm structuring in order to create a safe environment for their child to begin the healing process.

Interventions, such as those used in Theraplay(c), and Trust-based Relational Intervention(c), are taught and encouraged to help the child bond and feel safe in the presence of caregivers.

The child is supported to attach with parents and to develop a coherent narrative with his/her parents in order to make sense of the past, ground in present reality, and prepare for a future of attached, loving relationships. Trust-based Relational Therapy is used to create safety, attunement, family cohesion, and a lasting connection.

2. How much does it typically cost?

We wish we could say it was free because you deserve that if you are struggling with an attachment challenged child. However, we must charge a fee for our services. Again, the cost is highly variable and dependent upon the intensity and duration of treatment. Services can be calculated by an hourly rate or a monthly fee may be negotiated for a bundle of services at a reduced rate. Most families need a bundle of diverse services, so we are open to negotiating a reasonable extended payment plan. We will also work with insurance companies, post-adoption assistance programs, victim compensation programs, counties, mental health agencies, and state entities in order to get your child and family the help needed.

The good news is that California Victims of Crime Board (formerly CALVCP) will pay for all of our services. If your child was a victim of neglect, child abuse of any kind, and/or abandonment in California, then these services can be paid for 100%. You do need to apply for this funding at http://vcgcb.ca.gov/victims. Your child’s social worker can help you with this process and there are advocates to help, too. Contact jen@attachplace.com for more information.

3. How long does treatment take?

Length of the treatment Attachment Challenge and Complex Developmental Trauma is highly variable and dependent on the age of the child, the degree of abuse, neglect , and attachment disruption in the first two years of the child’s life, other organic disabilities, degree of bond between the parents and the child, the amount of prior failed treatment strategies, and the ability of the parents to maintain regulated emotional states in the presence of their attachment challenged child.

Since parents are the primary change agent in the life of their child, direct therapeutic interventions may take 6 months to 2 years. Therapeutic parenting will be ongoing throughout each developmental milestone into adulthood.

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All information contained within this website is intended solely for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice relative to specific conditions or questions. We provide professional mental health assessments, diagnoses, and specific treatments for mental health conditions, including referrals and on-site resources by appointment.